Merry Oaks Neighborhood Association

Newsletter May 2004

Newsletter May 2004

Mark Your Calendars Now!
2004 General meeting schedule May 20, September 16

Hands on Merry Oaks Saturday, June 6
Meet at the traffic circle at 9 AM. Bring gloves.

MONA Day Saturday, September 25
Yard sale and block party! Look for details in the next newsletter or call Cate 704 535 3501

Fall Creek Walk Saturday, October 23
Look for details in the next newsletter or call Jasper, 704 537 9765
Bulky trash items
You must contact the City to pick up bulky trash items that will not fit into your roll-out container. You should put these items on your curb the day before the pick-up is scheduled. If bulky trash is put on the curb without first calling the City, you could be fined. At the least, you will anger your neighbors and one of them will have to take the time to call once they get tired of looking at your trash. The number is: 704-336-2673. To report tall grass, junky yards or junk cars, call 704-336-7600.

Neighborhood News & Updates
Merry Oaks Campus Park
On April 19 approximately 15 Merry Oaks neighbors met with the Central Park District II Advisory Board to give input into the park that will be built on the school campus. This will be a joint-use arrangement between CMS and the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department (MCPRD).
Planning which began several years ago was put on hold while the new school was built. At the recent meeting, suggestions from the previous community workshops were incorporated into the list of possible elements for the park. After adding a few suggestions for additional park elements, neighbors were each given three stickers to vote for their favorites. Here are the results of voting:
1. Perimeter Trails (hard surface) 6 votes
2. Walking / running track (measurable) 5 votes
3. Community garden 5 votes
4. Historical kiosks / shelter 5 votes
5. Athletic fields 3 votes
6. Nature trails / interpretive trails 3 votes
7. Picnic areas 2 votes
8. Tennis courts 2 votes
9. Volleyball courts 2 votes
10. School environmental projects 1 vote
11. Play wall 1 vote
12. Weather station 1 vote
Note that a multi-use athletic field and children’s playground will be provided by CMS for community and school use. Neighborhood pedestrian connections to the campus park received unanimous support from the community, and MCPRD will pursue land purchases on Merry Oaks Rd. and Arnold Drive to create these connections. The budget for the park project is $144,278. MCPRD hopes to have a design consultant on board in the next few weeks. After that they will move forward on design then come back to the community with a plan for review, hopefully by late summer. After review they will come back with a final plan unless the community loves the initial plan, in which case it could move forward without an additional meeting. Once final plans are approved by the community and the Central Park District II Advisory Council, they will go to the Park and Recreation Commission and the Board of County Commissioners for approval. Once those formalities are finished, the project will be bid and construction can begin. Think 2005!
Lee Jenson, District II Park Planner
704 336-7694 or jensorl@co.mecklenburg.nc.us

Merry Oaks-Plaza Midwood Connectivity Project
City Council awarded the construction contract for the connectivity project on May 10, and construction should begin in June. This project will create pedestrian/bicycle connection and a road connection between the Briar Creek Greenway and Roland Avenue in Plaza Midwood. When both the greenway and the connectivity project are complete, people will be able to walk or bicycle between the two neighborhoods without going onto Central Avenue.
Christy Wenzel, Project Manager, City of Charlotte
704 336-7367 cwenzel@ci.charlotte.ci.nc.us

Merry Oaks School News
Congratulations to Merry Oaks Elementary Teacher of the Year Kelly Trone, who teaches 3rd grade.
Congratulations to Garinger High School math teacher Raymond Cook who was one of six finalists for Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools Teacher of the Year. Merry Oaks School was officially dedicated as a new school on Thursday, May 6.

City Neighborhood Improvement Project
7Star Construction recently completed repairs from the 6-month warranty inspection on Merry Oaks Neighborhood Improvement Project. Typical repairs included fixing cracked curbs and driveways and maintenance work on the creek at Flynnwood Drive. One more final warranty inspection will take place early this summer. The recently installed street trees and landscaping are covered by a separate warranty and will be inspected six months and one year from the completion of planting.
The traffic circle at the intersection of Merry Oaks Road and Draper is still not completed. Raised islands with some design element such as stones in asphalt will replace the painted lines, sometime this summer.. These are intended to discourage speeding and improper turns. Thanks to MONA Board member Tom Poston for working with the City on this issue.
The yellow paint which was put out to locate the gas lines prior to the street trees being installed will disappear over time.
New Street Lighting
The new street lamps have been installed on Flynnwood and most of Merry Oaks Road. These provide a focused, downward non-glare light that is brighter on the sidewalk and street than the old lamps but does not spill over into yards and homes. Phase II of the project will be the rest of Merry Oaks Road and parts of Draper Avenue. This project does require signatures from property owners. Phase III, Arnold Drive and other neighborhood streets, will be later this year. The entire neighborhood will eventually be upfitted with the new lights. Contact Nancy Pierce Shaver 704 535 7409 or nancypierce@carolina.rr.com with questions.
Eastway News
The City Council vote for the daycare rezoning on Eastway across from The Park Apartments has been deferred until later this month. At public hearing in April, Merry Oaks Board position was presented that the daycare would create huge traffic problems in this area which already has one of the highest accident rates in Mecklenburg County. Request was made for left turn lane, median or signal light and lower speed limit. In response, the Department of Transportation recommended moving the driveway a few feet farther north on Eastway. MONA Board still opposes the rezoning unless there is serious traffic mitigation.

Photo Monitoring of Speeders
Be aware that speed on Central and Eastway is now being photo monitored.

Exxon Property
The former Exxon property at the corner of Eastway and Central has been purchased by Charlotte Check Cashing company and they are building a check cashing store there.

This information was provided to the Merry Oaks newsletter by
N.C. Representative Becky Carney:
I have completed the first year of my term serving you, the citizens of District 102, in the NC House.

The Short Session will convene on May 10th at noon. I will be sending weekly updates on what is going on throughout the Session. We send these either electronically (email) or via mail. If you are interested in receiving these updates, please send your email address or mailing address to my assistant, Polly Little or me. Our contact numbers are below.

The issues and actions that may be conducted in this Short Session include (but are not limited to) the following:

Adjustments to the budget adopted last session
Medical Malpractice
A Two-Year Moratorium on the Death Penalty
Video poker
The Lottery
Air Quality

Upon completion of the Short Session, which should adjourn sometime in July, I will send out a summary report of all actions taken by the NC House of Representatives. Once again, please let me know how best to send you this report. And of course, if you ever need to reach me on other issues or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,
Representative Becky Carney
NC House District 102

NC Legislative Office number: (919) 733-5827
Home telephone: 704 332-1893
Email:beckyc@ncleg.net
Legislative Assistant: Joyce Langdon (Raleigh)
Local Contact: Polly Little (Charlotte) - (704) 338-5964 or plittle@carolina.rr.com

Neighbors’ Corner
Interested in your neighborhood organization?
The MONA Board consists of 9 members. If you are interested in serving on the Board, call President Cate Martin at 704-535-3501. You may also attend the Board meetings, which occur three times per year a couple weeks before the general meeting. Call Cate for details.

Hands on Merry Oaks — June 6
A neighbor has requested help removing junk appliances and limbs from her property on Draper Avenue. This is your chance to help improve the appearance of our neighborhood one property at a time and to help someone who cannot do the work herself. If you want specific information, call Cate at 704 535 3501, or just meet at the traffic circle at 9 AM. Bring gloves. Call Cate to propose future Hands on Merry Oaks.

Thanks to...
Thanks to Board member Tom Poston for checking out the neighborhood during his walks. Thanks to his vigilance, a potentially dangerous sinkhole on Flynnwood near the creek was discovered and repaired before anyone was hurt.
Thanks also to Mark Salmen and Jasper Parham for taking care of the island on the Arnold Drive curve.
Thanks to MONA Neighborhood Advocate Nancy Pierce Shaver for gathering most of the information for this newsletter and previous ones.

Neighborhood Web Site
Go to www.neighborhoodlink.com/charlotte/merryoaks when you need latest weather, information of Who To Call for City/County services, contact information for City Council, information on the MONA calendar and much more. If you have a gardening question, post it yourself under the “Talk About It” gardening section by clicking on “Reply to this message”. If you want to discuss the new Greenway, there is also a section for that under “Talk About It”. For any questions or suggestions for our web site, E-mail Nancy K at nkrewson@earthlink.net and put “MONA” in the subject line so my computer won’t regard it as spam. If you have your own Web site, you can put a link to it under “Know Your Neighbors”.

Merry Oaks E-mail List
To be included on the MONA e-mail list, please e-mail Nancy Pierce-Shaver at nancypierce@carolina.rr.com and request to be put on the list. Also all newcomers please send her your e-mail! This list is for the exclusive use of MONA Board members to communicate with members and will not be given out to anyone else.

Briar Creek Update
Take a drive or walk down Masonic! After years of planning and efforts by our neighborhood advocate, Nancy Pierce Shaver and others, there is finally progress being made on the new greenway along Briar Creek. You can now tell where the Masonic entrance will be near Central Avenue and also at the end of Masonic. There are stakes in the ground that give a rough idea of the layout of the trails. You can also see where the bridge will go. There is a gap in the trees just below the curve in creek and the sandbar. The bridge across the creek will be contracted out and probably the last items to be completed. Mr. Gentry, a Team Leader of Parks and Recreation Department, made arrangements with the Charlotte Country Club to park equipment there behind gates some nights for safety. When working on the Arnold side of creek, they may have to park in our neighborhood in a visible place and asks that we keep our eyes open so kids or others don’t play around the equipment.
Mr. Gentry states that they try to preserve animal/bird habitats when they are not too near the trail or present a hazard. City Storm Water has been on site to remove some stumps and debris from the tributary to keep it free flowing. Diseased trees are being cut down then trucks will haul off the debris, then they drag to rake up remaining brush. The eventual objective is a park-like setting and walkers or bike riders will be able to see through the park for safety. Gentry states “by Fall, should look pretty good” and they will continue the slow process of removing aggressive and unwanted vegetation such as overgrown wisteria, privet, bamboo, poison ivy, and so on as time goes on. Thinning out the trees allows the ones remaining to flourish and some, such as an old cherry tree, have been pruned by the City.
Mr. Joe Davis, a specialist with Park and Rec department says the main tree varieties are ash, sweet gum, cottonwood, box elder and some wild cherry. We have also noticed magnolia, cedar and thickets of wild roses. When complete, it should be a really pleasant place to walk. Right now, the construction equipment has the “right of way” but there are no objections to our walking there when they are not working.
Neighbors on Masonic have been supportive of the work being done, but we should park on the greenway side of the street rather than in front of their houses. Go have a look or better yet, take a walk!
This report was provided by
Merry Oaks neighbor Nancy Krewson.
Creek Walk
Merry Oaks neighbors, led by Jasper Parham, have been cleaning and monitoring the water quality of Briar Creek from Central Avenue to the Charlotte Country Club twice per year, for about seven years. Here is Jasper’s report on the most recent creek walk last month:
The creekwalk started out about 9:00 AM at the Central Avenue bridge with 6 participants; Carolynn Richardson, Carol Herrington and Jasper Parham in the creek and Nancy Krewson, Andrea Krewson and Sarah Acuff along the creek bank.
As usual the start of the creekwalk had the most litter because of the adjacent parking lot and 2 adjacent streets. The creek water was very clear and free flowing. There was very little organic matter giving off the proverbial scent of decay. We saw several schools of minnows and small sunfish. Along the creek bank there was a large black snake which we respected for the benefit it provided to our biodiversity and its appetite for copperheads which were not seen.
As we proceeded upstream, our collection of litter yielded some memorable souvenirs. Among the collection was: a tennis shoe, a steel shank boot, an in-line skate, an infant carseat, a suitcase, a rug, a pleated tuxedo shirt, a sweatshirt, an aquarium air filter, a plastic pistol, and about 3 dozen golf balls. The majority of the litter was plastic shopping bags, snack food wrappers, beer and soda bottles and cans. One of the creekwalk participants observed that we could have spent the entire time picking up litter between the creek bank and Masonic Drive. But that would be another project for another time.
We ended the creekwalk around noontime, tired but grateful that our creek looked more natural than cluttered with human refuse. We thank all the participants for their hard work and dedication to our creek. And we thank the Charlotte Country Club for adopting the creek upstream which cuts down on the litter in our section of the creek and for the use of their dumpster to dispose of some of our litter bags.
Jasper Parham, Merry Oaks N.A. Creek Steward

Care & Feeding of Your New Street Trees
As you’ve certainly noticed, in March the city entered the final phase of the Merry Oaks Neighborhood Improvement Project by landscaping the traffic circle and planting over fifty young trees along four of our streets. Over time, these new trees will benefit the neighborhood in many ways: primarily through year-round beautification, summertime shade, and overall increased property values.

Below is information about the trees planted:

Arnold Drive (by Aztec Apts.) & Traffic Circle corners – Crepe Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)
These ornamental trees, originally from east Asia, are common sights across Charlotte. The grow from 18’-25’ tall and produce brilliant red, pink, or white flowers in the summer (right now it’s unknown what color flowers the ones in our neighborhood will produce). In the fall the small leaves become brilliant orange or red, and as the tree gets older, the gray bark flakes off showing coppery patches of new bark.
More information: http://www.southernliving.com/southern/gardens/plants/article/0,13676,605617,00.html

Draper Avenue – Streetwise Trident Maple (Acer buerganum)
An uncommon Asian variant of the more familiar maple family, the slow-growing Streetwise reaches 20’-30’ in height and is an excellent urban tree, tolerant of poor soil, pollution and moderate drought. The leaves become burgundy red in the autumn, and with the open nature of large parts of Draper, it should make for a dramatic addition to the street’s appearance.
More information: http://www.greenbeam.com/features/plant071000.stm

Flynnwood Drive – Autumn Brilliance Silverberry (Amelanchier grandiflora)
A native North American plant, the silverberry is a large shrub that quickly grows up to 15’-25’ tall. The flowers are borne in early spring and are at first tinged with pink but later fade to white. The young leaves are purplish and the fall color is red, yellow or orange. Edible fruit attracts birds.
More information: http://www.bellevuebotanical.com/plantmonth/04_04.htm

Graybark Avenue – Chinese Pistache (Pistacia chinensis)
Chinese Pistache trees are not commonly seen in Charlotte, but by all accounts are some of the very best ornamental and street trees available. Although the pistache (which is a relative of the trees that produce pistachio nuts) appears gangly and ungraceful when young (as ours do now) over time it blossoms into a wide-canopied, 40’ tall tree with copious foliage that becomes brilliant crimson in the autumn.
More information: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/trees-new/pistacia_chinensis.html

Draper/Merry Oaks Traffic Circle - Columnar Red Maple (Acer rubrum ‘Columnare’)
The red maple is common throughout this area, and many examples grow in Merry Oaks. The “columnar” variant planted in the traffic circle gets its name from its tendency to grow tall but not wide. When mature it should reach a height of nearly 70’, but with a branch-span of only about 15’. In spring the new leaves begin red and quickly become green; in fall they turn a deep orange/red.
More information: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/trees-new/acer_rubrum.html

Since the trees are part of a city project, it is the city’s responsibility to water and care for them during the first year; after that, dead or diseased trees would be replaced and it becomes the individual property owner’s charge to care for their tree(s). However, just because it’s the city’s responsibility this year doesn’t mean homeowners with new trees can’t take steps to help give them a healthy start. The first year in the ground is the toughest on any transplanted tree, since the roots aren’t well-established and the tree itself is in a form of shock from the relocation.
One way to benefit the new trees is to give them a dose of a commercial root stimulant (available at any lawn & garden center). Follow the directions on the bottle and water the tree with the mixture. This stimulates root growth and helps the tree overcome the shock of transplant. Another aid is to fertilize the tree with plant food mixes designed for trees; again these are available at any good garden center.
Even without any extra supplemental feeding, you can help new trees out by observing them, and watching for any uprooting, dying branches, or other symptoms of poor health.
These trees should live for half a century or longer, with the proper care. When mature, they will enhance our neighborhood in ways we can only imagine now. By helping them out now, these trees will repay us in enjoyment many times over.

Neighborhood Advocacy And Monitoring
Neighborhood advocate Nancy Pierce Shaver, Board member Jaspar Parham and President Cate Martin have been working on improving the appearance of the neighborhood entrances at both ends of Arnold and Merry Oaks Road. This has includes meetings with the City Zoning Inspector and contacting property owners. Efforts are underway to restore wooded buffers between the multi family or business edge properties and the single family residential properties, as per the zoning code, and to make sure people are aware that they cannot sell many cars or operate a business from residential properties. The owners of the little house on the end of Arnold near the Medicine Shop have hired an architect and will recreate the property so it meets city code, which includes de-paving part of the front yard and installing a buffer. It is zoned for business and they intend to operate a business there. Many neighbors have expressed concern about the area between the Woodmere Condominiums and the single family homes on Merry Oaks Road where the huge oak tree was removed a few years ago. City inspectors and MONA Board members are working with Woodmere to resolve this issue.

Please be reminded that parking cars on front lawns is now illegal except for special circumstances. If there is no room in your driveway, please park on the street. It is also illegal to regularly park certain large commercial vehicles anywhere in the neighborhood. Report violations to 704-336-3569.

Power Problems
Jasper Parham has been monitoring power fluctuations in Merry Oaks. Here is his most recent report:
Duke Power reported to the utilities commission that the March 4 blackout affecting thousands of customers on the east side was caused by a vehicle hitting a utility pole, causing equipment to short out at the Commonwealth substation. After asking for a police report, I found out that there had only been one vehicle accident around the time of the blackout, both vehicles hitting each other in the middle of Eastway Drive and hitting nothing else.
A member of the public staff of the utilities commission visited the Commonwealth substation March 30. He found that the blackout had been caused by a catastrophic equipment failure. And he learned that the substation is a one-of- a-kind in the entire Duke system, and antiquated. The substation will be entirely replaced within the next year. The public staff thinks that our power reliability will improve once that work is completed.
I spoke with a neighbor who is an electrician about the power problems. He thinks that the problems in the neighborhood are more localized and there could still be problems. The moral of this saga is to protect all sensitive equipment with surge protectors and report all power interruptions. And stay tuned.

Special to the newsletter
“Lights in the Community”

“Lights in the Community” is a three-phase community oriented pilot project. Phase 1 involves a grassroots needs assessment that is currently beginning in the Eastway/Central corridor targeting Latino communities.
The main goal of the project is to increase community awareness and understanding about alcohol and other substance abuse and the subsequent effects on the lives of the individuals, their families and the community.
In order to achieve this goal, it is necessary to increase the communication and interacting among residents in the neighborhoods. As a result of this, we expect to create a Community Prevention Curriculum that can be used as a tool in other Latino neighborhoods in Mecklenburg County.
Additionally, the project will provide increased opportunities for service providers to collaborate more effectively while engaging community residents. Overall, the success of this pilot project will increase community resources to reduce substance abuse and the crime rate.
Recently, an Information Festival was held at the Park Apartments with various community organizations and businesses represented as well as a local radio station adding to the festive atmosphere.
For more information, contact Priscilla Zamora, Project Coordinator at 704-375-3784 or zamora@preventionservices.org.
Programa Hispano:
Luces En La Comunidad

Muchas son las organizaciones sociales
que hoy en d?­a brindan servicios a la comunidad Latina,
pero pocas son las que llegan al verdadero Coraz?³n de las mismas.

Es por eso que, Substance Abuse Prevention Services, conjunto con ABC Board Charlotte-Mecklenburg, lleva a cabo el programa social latino “Luces en la Comunidad”, con el objetivo de ofrecer recursos y bienestar a aquellos, que por su situaci?³n socio-econ?³mica, no tienen acceso a ellos.
En esta oportunidad, y como prueba del trabajo “hacia dentro” en las comunidades, se est?¡n realizando reuniones comunales en la Casa Club (“Clubhouse”) de los apartamentos The Park, en la Eastway Drive.
En estas reunions tratamos temas de inter?©s a la comunidad Latina y ofrecemos servicios como: control de presi?³n arterial, prueba de az?ºcar y colesterol en la sangre, y hasta provisiones de comida para los interesados.
La pr?³xima reuni?³n ser?¡ s?¡bado 8 de mayo a las 4 pm. S?³lo tiene que asistir y se sorprender?¡ de lo que juntos la comunidad Latina puede lograr.
M?¡s informaci?³n con Priscila al 704-375’3784 Ext.25. Te esperamos!!

“The ruin of a nation begins in the homes of its people.” Ghanian Proverb

Summer Programs for Kids
Charlotte Mecklenburg High School
Police Academy
July 12 – 16 8 am - 4 pm
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Academy, 1770 Shopton Rd.
This is a one-week, hands-on course for high school students who are interested in a career in law enforcement or who would like to find out more about the Police Department. Topics to be covered include: the history and mission of the CMPD, community oriented policing, traffic offenses, drivers license, the Fourth Amendment, curfew laws, juvenile crimes, gangs, the responsibilities and benefits of wearing a badge, computer technology, report writing, crime scene, traffic stops, problem solving, F.A.T.S. (Firearms Training Simulator) and building searches. For further information or to request an application, contact Officer Tom Barry at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Academy at 704-432-1637 or by e-mail at tbarry@cmpd.org. Deadline to register is May 31.

Folks Arts Camp
July 26-30 and August 2-6 8:30-5:30 pm St. Andrews Episcopal Church 3601 Central Avenue. Your child will have the opportunity to make music, share stories, dance, and create traditional crafts in classes led by experienced musicians, dancers, and artisans—the bearers of our local folk art traditions. African drumming, pottery, weaving, Appalachian dulcimer, pennywhistle, Native American story beads, Hispanic folk dancing and sacred mask making are just some of the many cultural arts your child will be exposed to. Master classes in fiddle, dulcimer, and guitar will be available for an additional fee. Instrument and crafts classes, music jam sessions, and dances for older youth and adults will be held in the evenings to provide enjoyment for the whole family. Plaza-Midwood resident June Blotnick is the camp director for this new venture by the Charlotte Folk Society. The weekly fee is $225 with free pre- and post-care. A limited number of financial scholarships are available.
To register contact June at (704) 491-5646 or june@folkartscamp.org. For more information visit the Charlotte Folk Society’s Web site at www.folksociety.org.
This project is made possible by a grant from the Community Cultural Connections Program of the Arts & Sciences-Charlotte/Mecklenburg, Inc. and the Grassroots program of the North Carolina Arts Council, a state agency.